Broken (11 page)

I bit back a smile as it hit me why he was acting like this. I waited until the shampoo was all out before I raised my head again and blinked at him. “Have you never been with a human?”

He licked his lips and then swallowed loudly. “No. The only men have been Cypress and Teak, and there’ve only been a few elf women ever. No humans.”

“Oh.” I shrugged and then reached behind me for the conditioner. I uncapped it and cupped his hand, right by my breast, squirting it in before setting it back on the shelf. “If you’re still helping. Your touch is making me feel better but, yeah, lots of hair.”

“I never realized how much,” he agreed as he spread the conditioner on his hands before reaching up and running it all over my hair. “I mean, I’ve seen you take it down and shake it out, wondering what it would feel like to bury my face in it, but never did I think there was
so
much of it. It’s really pretty, Cara.”

“Thanks. Lots of work.”

“I can imagine.” He worked it in, his chest brushing mine more than a few times. I moved my hands to his hips to bring us closer and steady myself. “I’m trying to be a gentleman here, Cara.”

“That would be a first,” I snickered. I reached past him when he was done with the conditioner and grabbed my sponge. Then I handed him it and my body wash. “I’ve gotta rinse.”

He popped the lid and sniffed, groaning. “
This
is what makes you smell so fucking good!” I blinked at him a moment before laughing as the water did its job on my hair. “What?” I took the bottle and turned it so he could read the label. He took a moment to read it, his lips twitching. “Huh, go figure.”

It wasn’t fruity, or some Victoria’s Secret sexy something. Oh no, my body wash he liked was some homeopathic mixture that helped with
allergies
. And it worked to be honest, but it cracked me up that he had that reaction. Granted I liked the smell of the stuff too but it wasn’t anything I’d ever thought
yeah, this is guy magnet juice
.

Apparently I didn’t know much of anything when it came to men though as I’d learned lately—humans or elves. But right then I couldn’t think about that. Right then I needed to focus because there was one last thing I really had to know no matter how painful the answer was going to be.

Some answer we just had to learn for ourselves.

“Where?” he asked, holding up and shaking the sudsy sponge.

“Everywhere,” I answered as I dropped my head back into the water and lifted my arms to wring out the excess conditioner, making
where
apparent. He started on my sides but was washing my tits seconds later. Shocking, right? When he realized they were more than clean and he had no excuse to linger, he moved down my stomach and I lifted my leg onto the ledge. I heard his breath hitch, and he slowly washed my thighs as I raised my head and reached behind me for the soap I’d left there.

Then I lathered my own hands while he was distracted and washed his cock. He moaned and his eyes snapped up to mine. “Cara, what are you doing?”

“Showing you that you have to use your hands,” I panted as I took the sponge away from him with my other hand. “You can’t use that scratchy thing where it’s soft.” I moved his hand between my legs and showed him. “See? That would hurt. Do you want to hurt me, Aspen?”

“No, not ever, Cara,” he breathed. “Honey, we shouldn’t—”

I leaned in and pressed my lips against his ear as I pushed his fingers inside me. “Don’t you want to feast on my tits that you’ve been staring at for months like you want to eat up, while you tease my clit, and fuck me with that monster cock?” I practically yelped the last few words as he spun me against the tile and plunged into my body. I moved my hands under my breasts and he sucked and lapped at them as best as he could while balancing me with one hand and fingering my clit.

I moved one foot on the lip of the other side of the tub and held on for the ride. It was a good ride… A really fucking good ride. Aspen was a man who knew how to use what god gave him and he definitely loved to fuck.

He just apparently didn’t care if he
kissed
the person he was screwing.

I came first, a split second before he followed me over, and he buried his face in my neck, grunting as his fingers dug into my thigh and I moved my hands to his shoulders to keep us both balanced. It was mind-blowing and fantastic and my heart raced and lights had flashed behind my eyes and everything I’d ever read and written about how sex could be.

And having it like that with him broke my heart all over again. I’d gotten my answer. They’d wanted pretty pussy, not me. I wasn’t special to them or someone they loved. I was there. Easy. Reclusive. Alone and not someone who would bring a lot of attention their way.

I lowered my leg, wincing when it started cramping, lost in my own thoughts. It made his cock slide out of me, and I turned to rinse off before we used
all
the hot water.

“Fuck, Cara,” he panted, his chest heaving as he moved the hand that had been on my thigh to the wall as well. “Just
fuck
.”

“We just did,” I chuckled, my heart not in it. My legs were jelly, and I felt light-headed but somehow I still stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around me. I heard him shut off the water as I reached for the doorknob.

“God, I love you,” he breathed as he buried his face in my neck, his arms circling me from behind. “I love you
so much
, Cara.”

“Yeah,
sure
, Aspen,” I drawled, pushing his arms down and off me. “Don’t make this something it wasn’t.” I grabbed the knob and yanked the door open, taking advantage of what I assumed was his shocked reaction to my reply.

“What the fuck does that
mean
?” he growled from behind me as I stepped out into the hallway. Yep, there it was, the anger I expected.

I didn’t even look at him as I slowly walked up the stairs, still weak from not eating and now the fucking I’d just had. “It means I needed to know if you were flirting with me when we first met because you knew you could make me pretty and that made me easy access pussy next door. Thanks for answering.”

“Wait, so you just
used
me?” he bitched, following after me.

“Yes, this was all about
me
using
you
,” I snapped. “Yes, Aspen. I absolutely just
used
you for sex that broke my
heart
because you didn’t kiss me and I was just about catatonic when you found me today. I haven’t eaten in four days. I wanted to see if you would or you would put me first. Like I should be having sex right now!”

“
What
about sex?” Teak hissed as I stormed into the kitchen, handing me my already blended protein shake. I glanced at it a moment and twitched my lips, debating.

“Thanks, but I don’t think that’s such a good idea after not eating so long,” I admitted. I reached into the fridge, went with a Sprite and then grabbed some crackers from the pantry. “Ask Aspen. Apparently he loves me so much he just fucked me in the shower without even kissing me. Then he got pissed that I used him by letting him fuck me to see if this was all ever about me being easy pussy next door you guys could just make pretty with your magic elf fat sucking touch.”

“You did
what
?” Cypress bellowed at Aspen.

“No, that’s not exactly what happened,” Aspen defended as he stepped toward me. “Cara, you seduced me. Admit that.”

Teak just shook his head. “Right, because god
forbid
you say
no
when she’s upset.”

“She was wet and
naked
. I’m sorry for being a man,” Aspen growled.

They were blocking the way out of the kitchen and luckily my smokes were on the counter, so I picked them up and a lighter and walked out onto the back porch. Fuck it. They’d caused enough chaos in my life. Let them have some. I lit up a smoke and almost laughed as I plopped onto the bench seat. I hadn’t had one on my four day hiatus from reality.

A smart person would have rode that streak and tried to quit. But I was still ass deep in snakes, so yeah, wasn’t going to do that.

“That’s
it
!” Teak roared as he stormed out onto the porch, pissed in a way I’d never seen him before. “I love all three of you. But we did this
to her
. And we did it because we followed
your
plan, Cypress, and
your
pushing back over and over telling her who we are, Aspen. Now we’ve
broken
Cara. We’re here not three seconds to help and you screw things up further, Aspen. So let me be clear, I didn’t fuck up as badly as you both, so if we can’t
all
fix this and she’ll only forgive
me
, I’ll take her away and help her.”

“You’d leave us,” Cypress whispered, rubbing his chest as he stepped out onto the deck as well, Aspen right behind him. “You’d walk out on us after
all
these years?”

“I don’t want to. But I love all of you and that means fixing what we broke.” He narrowed his eyes at Aspen. “And not making things worse. So I’m hoping we can
all
fix this but understand that the stakes are high.”

“I knew they were high before you threatened to walk out on us for her,” Aspen snapped.

“That is
not
what I just did,” Teak threw back. “What we did, how we did this to the woman we love has consequences. I’m saying I’m willing to pay them no matter how severe to make this right. Now, are you?”

“Of course but saying you’ll run off with her isn’t—” Aspen started and even I was getting annoyed with him. That wasn’t what Teak had said.

“I’m playing the card. I’m done. I am playing
the card
! I’m playing it now,” Teak informed them, throwing his arms up in the air.

Aspen and Cypress flinched before slowly glancing at each other. It was Cypress who spoke first. “You never play the card.”

Teak shrugged and gestured to Aspen. “He’s not listening to me. He’s making it all about him and like I’m trying to run out him with some random woman. I’m saying I will go to any lengths to help Cara, who we love, so he better get on board with groveling, pulling his head out of his ass, or
anything
else she needs because I will not give up. So no more screwing in the shower when she can barely stand from malnutrition and
put her first
as I will. So yeah, I’m playing the mother fucking
card
. No more listening to you two. My turn.”

I dropped my smoke as the two elves dropped to a knee before Teak and pounded a fist over their heart. “Yes, my Prince,” they said as one.

And then I blacked out.

I must not have been down long though because Teak was kneeling before
me
on the deck with his tongue half out of his mouth. He smiled when he saw me blinking awake. “Hey, there you are, honey. You passed out there for a sec and luckily you only tilted over on the bench seat.” I realized he was right and I was horizontal and went to sit up. “Wait, not yet.” And also he was holding my towel.

“That’s what you were doing,” I groaned, realizing he’d had his
thinking
face on.

“Yes,” he chuckled, giving me a wink. “As lovely as your breasts are, and from what I saw, they truly are, I didn’t think now was the time you wanted to flash them about at us. But you fell funny and the towel folded under you so if you sit right up, you will.” He stood and turned around like a gentleman, gesturing Aspen and Cypress to do the same. “Get her those bright green pajama pants with the snowmen, Aspen.”

“Of course,” he agreed and walked into the house.

“Cypress, the yellow night shirt and purple cotton wrap thing she likes. It’s cool enough today and she runs cold when she’s upset plus she hasn’t eaten in days. Go.”

“Yes, my Prince.” He hurried inside and Teak kept his back to me still so I sat up and fixed the towel.

“Thank you. How did you know to pick that outfit?”

“You wear those pants when you’re out of sorts, and when you feel your life is chaotic, you wear clashing colors. I don’t know if you even realize you do it but—”

“I didn’t at first, but once I did, it’s now my own personal joke,” I chuckled. “You can turn around.” He did and I studied him closely. “Are you really a prince, Teak?”

“I am, but if it’s okay with you, I decided we’re going to start from the beginning the way I wanted to right after we first met and you opened up to us with all your very personal work stuff that second week we knew each other. But I want to do it the way you and I like to talk.”

I raised an eyebrow at that one, accepting my jammie pants when Aspen came back and sliding them on under the towel. The rest was harder from Cypress so I went into the kitchen and hurriedly threw it on before coming back outside. Teak was still standing there, hesitantly smiling as I rejoined them. He gestured to the bench seat again and waited for me to sit.